Folder

ABSTRACT

A longitudinal folding device includes formers for longitudinally forming and folding paper webs having different widths. Each former, together with its folding rollers, hopper roller and longitudinal cutting device is supported in a frame such that the former can be displaced in the axial directions of both the folding rollers and the hopper roller.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a folding apparatus having at leastone longitudinal folding device . The longitudinal folding device isdisplaceable axially with respect to both hopper and folding rollers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Tabloid longitudinal cutting devices have become known from DE-PS 668877. These tabloid cutting devices must be separately adjusted.

DE 198 21 603 A1 describes a longitudinal folding device. The foldinghopper and associated folding rollers can be displaced in the axialdirection of the folding rollers.

DE 92 17 956 U1 discloses a folding hopper. This folding hopper,together with folding rollers, can be moved transversely to the runningdirection of the paper web.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is directed to producing a foldingapparatus.

In accordance with the present invention, this object is attained byproviding a folding apparatus with at least one longitudinal foldingdevice. The longitudinal folding device has a folding hopper, a hopperroller, folding rollers and a longitudinal cutting device. Thelongitudinal folding device, including its components, is displaceablein the axial direction of the hopper roller as well as in the axialdirection of the folding rollers .

The advantages which can be obtained by the present invention consist,in particular, in that, in the course of a tabloid production withchangeable paper web widths, it is not necessary to adjust theindividual processing devices for the paper web, or for the paper webstrand consisting of several paper webs each time the paper web widthchanges.

Each folding hopper can be, at least, moved back and forth transverselyto the running direction of the paper web. Each folding hopper, togetherwith the folding rollers, the hopper inlet roller, as well as alongitudinal cutting device, together constitute a displaceablelongitudinal folding device, so that following the lateral or otherdisplacement of the displaceable longitudinal folding device or devices,an alignment of the individual processing device for the paper web, orfor the paper web strand consisting of several paper webs, can beomitted.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A preferred embodiment of the present invention is depicted in thedrawings and will be described in greater detail in what follows. Shownare in:

FIG. 1, a front elevation view of an adjustable longitudinal foldingdevice with two folding hoppers, and in

FIG. 2, a side elevation view in accordance with FIG. 1, but without thelateral frame and with a complete representation of the lateral walls ofthe folding unit.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A hopper inlet roller 08, also with traction rollers, not specificallyrepresented, is rotatably arranged between lateral frames 01, 02 of aweb-fed rotary printing press in the paper running direction A of apaper web 03 or 04, each of 1/1 width “b” or of a width “c”, as seen inFIGS. 1 and 2.

A first frame 11 and a second frame 12 cooperate to receive each ofrespective left and right longitudinal folding devices 13, 14. This isshown most clearly in FIG. 1. The longitudinal folding devices 13, 14are arranged laterally reversed, or mirror images of each other, inrelation to a center line 16 of the inner distance between the lateralframes 01, 02. The two longitudinal folding devices 13, 14 are situatedbetween the lateral frames 01, 02. They are identically equipped. Forreasons of simplicity, the same reference symbols are used for thecomponents of the left and right longitudinal folding device, 13,14.

Guide rails 17, 18 are arranged extending between the two lateral frames01, 02. Each guide rail 17, 18 extends parallel with a lateral wall 66,67 of the folding unit, as seen most clearly in FIG. 2. The guide rails17, 18 each have a cross support 19. This cross support 19 has adisplaceable lower carriage 21, which is guided on the guide rails 17,18. The displaceable lower carriage 21 is arranged to be displaceable inan axial direction D of the hopper inlet roller 08 and thus transverselyto the paper web running direction A, by operation of, for example, anarm 22 and by utilization of a threaded spindle 23 joined to the lateralframe 01, or 02, and a drive mechanism 24. In this case, the drivemechanism 24 can consist of a handwheel 24 or of a motor, notspecifically represented, which is arranged, fixed in place, on thelateral frame 01, 02.

An upper carriage 26, on which the folding rollers 27, 28 are seated, isarranged on the lower carriage 21 of the cross support 19. The uppercarriage 26 is arranged to be movable back and forth in the axialdirection E of the folding rollers 27, 28 as seen in FIG. 2. The firstand second frames 11, or 12, each with a folding hopper 29 of arespective right or left longitudinal folding device, are fastened onthe upper carriage 26. A hopper roller 31 is supported at the upper endof each frame 11, 12, wherein bearings 32 for each hopper roller 31 areeach arranged at a distance “f” of, for example 50 mm, away from the endof the hopper roller 31. Each bearing 32 is located on a continuousshaft 33 supporting the hopper roller 31.

Each hopper roller 31 is driven via an end of its respective shaft 33which is connected with a driveshaft 36 that is seated, fixed in place,on the lateral frames, via a universal joint 34 which is provided with alength compensation device.

The driveshaft 36 can be connected with a separate drive mechanism 37,for example an electric motor, or, as represented, driving of driveshaft36 can also be accomplished using toothed belts, which connect theshafts 33, 38 of the hopper roller 31 and the hopper inlet roller 08 viatoothed pulleys. In this case a separate drive of the hopper inletroller shaft 38 is provided via drive means, for example a gear wheel40.

A holder 39, which is provided in an approximate U-shape and which isfastened on the frame 11 or 12, as seen in FIGS. 1 or 2, has, at its endremote from the frame 11 or 12, a shaft 41 extending in the axialdirection of the hopper roller 31. A first lever 42 is arranged, fixedin place on the shaft 41, at a first end of the shaft 41, as seen mostclearly in FIG. 2, and on whose end remote from the shaft 41 the pistonrod of a work cylinder 43, seated on the holder, is hinged. A secondlever 44, which is fixed in place on the shaft 41 and which is arrangedoffset by approximately 180° in respect to the first lever 42, supportsan upper blade 47 of a longitudinal cutting device in a fork-shapedupper blade holder 46.

The upper blade 47 is located above the hopper roller 31 and in thealignment line 48 of the funnel nose 49 of each of the left and theright longitudinal folding devices 13,14. The upper blade 47 can beplaced against a cutting-ring-shaped lower blade 51 of the longitudinalcutting device which lower blade 51 is located on the hopper roller 31.

The upper carriage 26 can be moved back and forth in relation to thelower carriage 21 by the operation of a threaded spindle 54, joinedfixed to the frame 11, and a drive mechanism 56. Each upper carriage 26can move in the axial direction E of the folding rollers 27, 28. Thethreaded spindle 54 operates between a tongue 53 located on the frame11, 12 and a guide lever 52 arranged on the lower carriage 21. The drivemechanism 56 can be embodied as an electric motor, not specificallyrepresented, which is fixed in place on the frame 11, or as a handwheel56.

The lower carriage 21 also has a paper run-out roller 57 on itsunderside.

Both lower carriage 21 and upper carriage 26 can be guided in dovetailedgrooves. As represented in the drawings, it is, for example, alsopossible for the lower carriage 21 to extend laterally around the uppercarriage 26, or the guide rails 17, 18.

If a paper web 03 of a width “b”, or a paper web strand, is insertedinto the left and right longitudinal folding devices 13, 14, which areprovided with the two folding hoppers 29, it will be understood that thepaper web 03 of width “b” has already been halved, or cut into twolongitudinal web segments, at a longitudinal center line 16 by the useof a longitudinal cutting device, not specifically represented.

The two longitudinal folding devices 13, 14 are in the positionrepresented in FIG. 1. The longitudinally halved paper web 03 is nowable to be cut into partial paper webs 61 to 64, for example for tabloidproducts, by the longitudinal cutting device 47, 51 which are arrangedabove each of the folding hoppers 29 of their respective left and rightlongitudinal folding devices 13, 14.

If it is intended to produce tabloid products of a narrower width, forexample from a paper web 04 of a width “c”, the left and rightlongitudinal folding devices 13, 14 will be displaced toward each otherin the axial direction D of the hopper inlet roller 08 by operation ofthe displaceable lower carriages 21. In the process, the longitudinalcutting device 47, 51 assigned to each folding hopper 29 moves togetherwith the folding hopper 29 in the desired direction D, and also in theaxial direction E of the folding rollers 27, 28 if the displaceableupper carriages 26 are operated to move the lower ends of thelongitudinal folding devices 13, 14 in the axial direction E.

If it is necessary to assign signatures, resulting from the operation ofa device for forming a second longitudinal fold, in subsequent worksteps to an outgoing paper web strand made of partial paper webs 61, 62,or 63, 64, it is advantageous, as a function of the format of thesignatures to be assigned, if the longitudinal folding device 13, 14 isembodied so it can also be adjusted in the axial direction E of thefolding rollers 27, 28, as represented in FIG. 2. As discussed above,this movement in the axial direction E is accomplished by operation ofthe upper carriage 26 for the lower end of each of the left and rightlongitudinal folding devices 13, 14.

While a preferred embodiment of a folding apparatus in accordance withthe present invention has been set forth fully and completelyhereinabove, it will be apparent to one of skill in the art that variouschanges, in, for example the specific type of printing press used toprint the paper web or webs, the drive for the press, and the like canbe made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the presentinvention which is accordingly to be limited only by the followingclaims.

List of Reference Symbols

1 Lateral frame

2 Lateral frame

3 Paper web, strand

4 Paper web,strand

5—

6—

7—

8 Hopper inlet roller

9 Traction roller

10—

11 Frame, first (13, 14)

12 Frame, second (13, 14)

13 Longitudinal folding device, left

14 Longitudinal folding device, right

15—]

[16 Center line (03, 04)

17 Guide rail (13, 14)

18 Guide rail (13, 14)

19 Cross supports (16,17)

20—

21 Carriage, lower (19)

22 Arm

23 Threaded spindle (21)

24 Drive mechanism (23)

25—

26 Carriage, upper

27 Folding roller (26)

28 Folding roller (26)

29 Folding hopper (11, 12)

30—

31 Hopper roller (11, 12)]

[32 Bearing (31)

33 Shaft (31)

34 Universal joint (33)

35—

36 Driveshaft

37 Drive mechanism (36)

38 Shaft (08)

39 Holder (11, 12)

40 Gear wheel (37)

41 Shaft (39)

42 Lever, first (41)

43 Work cylinder (42, 39)

44 Lever, second (41)

45—

46 Holder, fork-shaped

47 Upper blade]

[48 Alignment line (49)

49 Hopper nose

50—

51 Lower blade (31)

52 Guide lever (21)

53 Tongue(11,12)

54 Threaded spindle

55—

56 Drive mechanism (54)

57 Paper run-out roller

58—

59—

60—

61—Partial paper web (03)

62—Partial paper web (03)

63—Partial paper web (03)]

[—Partial paper web (03)

65—

66 Lateral wall, folding unit

67 lateral wall, folding unit

A Paper web running direction (03, 04)

D Direction, axial

E Axial direction (27, 28)

b Width (03)

c Width (04)

f Distance]

What is claimed is:
 1. A folding apparatus comprising: at least onelongitudinal folding device, said at least one longitudinal foldingdevice including a hopper roller having a hopper roller axis ofrotation, a pair of folding rollers having folding roller axes ofrotation, a folding hopper situated between said hopper roller and saidpair of folding rollers and a longitudinal cutting device; and meanssupporting said at least one longitudinal folding device, including saidhopper roller, said pair of folding rollers, said folding hopper andsaid longitudinal cutting device for displacement of said at least onelongitudinal folding device in a first axial direction of said hopperroller axis of rotation and in a second axial direction of said foldingrollers axes of rotation, said first axial direction and said secondaxial direction being different from each other.
 2. The foldingapparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least one longitudinal foldingdevice, including said hopper roller, said longitudinal cutting deviceand said pair of folding rollers, is arranged in a displaceable frame.3. The folding apparatus of claim 2 further including a cross supportfor said displaceable frame.
 4. The folding apparatus of claim 1 whereinsaid longitudinal cutting device includes an upper blade and a lowerblade, said lower blade being supported on said hopper roller and saidupper blade being supported for pivotal movement toward and away fromsaid lower blade.
 5. The folding apparatus of claim 1 further includinga second longitudinal folding device.
 6. The folding apparatus of claim5 further including a hopper inlet roller extending over an entire widthof said at least one and second longitudinal folding devices.